5 Reasons Why the HTC One is a Better Bet Than the Galaxy S4

I know you have your doubts about the HTC One. Sense's Blinkfeed is like a dull version of Flipboard, there's no expandable memory, and HTC's icons are starting to look really stale. Besides, there aren't nearly as many new features as the Galaxy S4 baked into the firmware.

That said, you could do a LOT worse than the HTC One, and so far reviewers have been falling absolutely head over heels for the device. It has a gorgeous design, an unbeatable display and some serious hardware specs.

Sure, there's no way it will have same kind of visibility as the Galaxy S4, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. After all, you're an Android user: you care more about features than following the it crowd. Wouldn't it be better to own a phone that nobody else has, anyway?

Here are all the reasons why it might be a better bet for you than the Galaxy S4:

It Has a Better Display

The Verge gave the HTC One its highest rating for displays – a 10 out of 10. At 1920 x 1080 pixels, the HTC One has a pixel density of 468. That's higher than the Galaxy S4's 441 pixels per square inch, and higher than any other Android device ever released. The Galaxy S4's screen is slightly larger (5.0" vs. 4.7") which could be a plus for some, but I'd take a richer display over a slightly larger display any day.

Its Construction Quality Is Outstanding

We've always loved HTC's design materials and construction quality, and the HTC One is no exception. It has a sleeked, polished look that you just can't stop staring at and once you start holding it, you want to keep on holding. It has a slightly curved back which nestles perfectly in the palm of your hand. The Galaxy S4, meanwhile, is made of plastic – just like its predecessors – and appears neither sleek nor sexy. Samsung just doesn't care as much as HTC about the quality of the materials they use.

It Has a Better Camera in Low-Light

So far, reviewers have been enjoying the Galaxy S4's camera more than the HTC One's, but not when it comes to the kind of situations where you actually use your phone: in restaurants, bars and nightclubs. Think about how many washed out or barely visible photos you've taken of friends when you're out on the town. With the HTC One, you can be assured that those photos will come out really well, since HTC's Ultrapixel technology lets in a whole lot more light than any other Android ever released. I also wouldn't be too concerned about the graininess in photos taken during the day; unless you're printing them out on paper or zooming in after the fact, you'll be more than satisfied by the HTC One's camera in daylight situations.

It Has an Incredible Sound System

The HTC One just might be the first smartphone you can actually use without headphones. With two speakers above and below the display, the phone has surprisingly powerful stereo sound. Beats Audio isn't just a gimmick on this phone; it actually improves the bass performance noticeably. The Galaxy S4, meanwhile, packs the same speaker power as its predecessor. It's not bad, but it isn't particularly good either.

Honestly, How Many of Those Galaxy S4 Features Are You Actually Going to Use?

Gesture and eye control? They look amazing in Samsung's promo videos, but preliminary reviewers have said that these features work sporadically at best, sometimes not even registering when a user's eyes have turned away from the screen. When it comes to multitasking, the Galaxy S4 looks to be better equipped, but we'll have to wait and see what Android 5.0 / Key Lime Pie brings to the mix before we make any snap judgements. The truth is that, no matter what new phone you buy, you can mod it anyway you like. If you go with Touchwiz, you're definitely going to be modding anyway.

If HTC dies, it will have gone out with a bang. The HTC One is an incredible phone and if I were in the market for a new phone right now, I'd give it some serious consideration.

17 comments

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The One does look like a great device. Now that there is a 32GB or 64GB choice (no more 16GB only like the One X) I'd consider it if it came to Verizon. My biggest concern is the battery. I've owned enough tech over the years to know batteries don't last that long. I'm on about my 20th laptop and my 11 th smartphone. Every single one needed a new battery after a year or two - no exceptions. Granted, I did not wait until the batteries would no longer charge. At the point where battery life fell to about 50% of original run time I replaced them. For a device that will cost you $600 or more, the fact that you can't replace a failing battery is a deal breaker.

I would buy an HTC ONE in a heartbeat if they had a No Contract model available (Samsung didn't hesitate offering a Galaxy S2 & S3 into the No Contract market) vs the inferior No Contract Android Smart Phones they're dumping upon Boost, Cricket, Virgin, MetroPCS ...

I agree that it is superior bargain compared to the Samsung S4; but Samsung is pimping their products all over the World (wake up HTC! you need to pimp your electronic goods globally and do so with commercials and print ads) and the issues regarding none replaceable battery / no SD Memory Card slot ...

Thanks for the review, I have been following the reviews and tests very closely as I am ready to upgrade and its between this device and the S4. But being in New Zealand I have to wait as we will probably be the last to get these devices!!

no matter whatever Reviewers and bloggers throw abuse and bad review at S4! I will never mind about it! I wait until it comes to my country and I ate it anyway LOL forcing my dad to buy it! even in installment based.

There may be a higher PPI count but the difference will be intangible that far above 320ppi ('Retina display' quality) no matter how close to your face you hold the phone.

It's true the build is FAR superior, but I do love the expandable storage and replacable battery. These are things I personally cannot do without!

I've actually read a review on GSMarena that says the SGS4 camera is superior to the HTC One in low light conditions, and the images back it up to be honest.

Those HTC One speakers are going to make me SO jealous though! Not that I listen to much music on my loudspeakers, but for movie watching on long journeys Boomsound would have been most welcome company.

Multitasking on the SGS3 was a dream come true. The touch responsiveness and screen versatility (using with GLOVES!), as well as using air gestures to hover on the browser to bring up additional information the way a traditional mouse would on a desktop sounds amazingly convenient. As does being able to change tracks while I'm washing the dishes or keep a track of my calorie intake on fly. Some of these features may appear gimicky but will certainly add convenience to that new "Life Companion" (however robosexual that may sound).

Air Gestures does look cool. But not everyone wants or needs it, nor do they want or need Smart Scroll or Smart Pause.

There are indeed more pixels per square inch in the HTC One than in the Galaxy S4's display. I'm also a bigger fan of IPS displays than AMOLED displays, which I think tend to over-saturate colors. I'll take the HTC One's display over that of the Galaxy S4 any day.

As for the rest of your critique, I would not presume to know what's best for the majority of smartphone users. Some may actually (gasp!) prefer pared-back Sense 5 compared to Touchwiz's bells and whistles. You don't have to resort to personal attacks. In fact, our guidelines prohibit doing so. Please check yourself.

@Marcel,

Yes, yes, SD Card, removable battery...I know.

There aren't a whole lot of camera comparisons yet, but this one seems to find HTC's a winner:

I'm sure that unless you are viewing your phone with a magnifying glass you will never see the difference between the pixel densities of these two phones, and the Samsung has exactly the same 1920 X 1080 pixel count, but a larger screen.So, same native resolution, bigger screen with no visible difference in quality means to me the Samsung wins.I'm sure as a writer you don't need to handle your phone with filthy hands, unfortunately there are different occupations, different needs. I personally don't like to answer a call while in the middle of greasing some bearings or doing an oil change on one of my machines, or when I'm elbows deep cutting up a Halibut or salmon, guess what, not going to grab my phone! This feature is absolutely indispensable for the majority of the population.Where is multi-window display? Are you telling me you can't use this in writing? Really? What an absolute crock of *&^. To insinuate that anyone that bothers with Samsung will probably discard these features is ludicrous, this article is just stupid!Actually, yeah, after writing this article your hands are pretty dirty and you should be using air view, until you wipe HTCs skid mark off your nose.

Obviously you have something against samsung/s4 the way you write this article.Removable battery? NOPESD card? NOPEMultiview software? NOPE5" screen? NOPEYou have absolutely NO PROOF about the low-light performance, if you do SHOW IT!The above article is pure theory.And by the way the "air" features are meant to keep the screen clean.

The decision was made for me by HTC. I have a grandfathered unlimited plan with Verizon. I have no intention of giving that up for now, even to the extent that I'll have to pay off contract pricing for the phone. Since the HTC One won't be gracing the floors of any Verizon showroom, I'm headed for an S4 or the next iteration of the Note.